Draft-rigging for railway-cars.



J. F. OCONNOR. DRAFT RIGGING FOR RAILWAY CARS.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

APPLICATION FILED APR.25, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR. Ja/uzffli'arzrwf BY a a A TTOR WITNESSES:

5. F. OGQNNOHH DRAFT RIGGING FOR RAILWAY CARS.

A APPLICATION FILED APRJZE'. 1914. w 11 w Patented Apr. 2@, 19115.

' '1 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IN VEN TOR.

, 0 k 15 ATTOR E JOHN F. OCONNOR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM MINER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRA'ET-RIGGING FOB. RAILWAY-CARS.

inseam.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 23, T915.

Application filed April 25, 1914. Serial No. 834,290.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, JOHN F. QCounon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful improvement in Draft-Rigging for Railway-Cars, of which the following s a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in draft rigging for railway cars.

The object of my invention is, to prov de a draft rigging for railway cars in which bufiing and pulling shocks are dlstributed over a wide area of the draft members.

Tn the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a draft rigging embodying my invention, and showing the parts 1n normal position; Fig. 2 is a plan View, partly in horizontal section, on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, showing the parts in their position 1n full buff; Fig. 3 is a cross section takenon line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on line 4i4c of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the followers.

Referring to the drawings, the numerals 6-6 indicate draft m mbers, or parts of the car-frame to which the draft rigging is applied, 7 an upper stop member, and 3 a lower stop member. The stop members are preferabiy channel shapem'the lower stop member preferably having its flanges 99 lip-turned, and the upper stop-members 7 preferably having its flanges 10--10 downturned. The stop members 7 and 8 are vertically spaced apart and are secured to the draft members 6-6 preferably by the rivets 11- 11 passing through the flanges of the stop members and adjacent portions of the draft members. The stop members are provided with forward vertical slots 1212 forming front stop shoulders 13--13 and front limiting stop shoulders 1 i1- in the stop members. The stop members are also rearwardly provided. with vertical slots 15-15 forming rear stop shoulders 16-16 and rear limiting stop shoulders 1717 in the stop members. A draft gear 18 is mounted between the draft members, the draft gear preferably comprising a shell 19 having friction elements 20 and spring elements 21 therein. The friction elements 2) preferably comprise a plurality of friction shoes, preferably 3, indicated by the numerals 22-22, a wedge 23, and anti-friction rollers 24, there being one roller interposed between each friction shoe and the adjacent face of the wedge 23. The spring elements 21 preferably comprise an outer spring 25 and an inner spring 26 nested therein, the springs being forwardly seated against the friction shoes, and rearwardly seated against the friction shell. A connecting bolt 27 connects the wedge 23 to the shell, the connecting bolt having a head 28 received in a forwardly opening recess 29 in the wedge 23, and a nut 30 received in the rearwardly openmg recess 31 provided in the rear end of the shell. The draft gear is engaged at its forward end by a front follower 32, and at its rearward end by the rear follower 33, the said followers being hereinafter more particularly described. A dran-bar 3-1, only the rear end thereof being shown in the drawing, is provided with a transverse slot 35 to receive the coupler key 36, which eX- tends laterally through transverse slots 37-37 provided in the forward ends of the draft links 3838, the coupler key being received at its ends in slots 3939 in adjacent portions of the draft members 6. The slots 3939 are longitudinally extended to permit forward and rearward movement of the coupler key 36 therein, and the slots 37 in the draft links 38 are rearwardly extended to permit the rearward travel of the key 36 therein on rearward movement of the drawbar without buiiing strain upon the coupler key. Near their rear ends, the draft links 38 are provided with transverse slots 4040 adapted for the passage of the rear key 41, which with the draft links 38 forms a draft yoke, the ends of the key 41 being received in slots 4-2d2 in adjacent portions of the draft members 6, the slots 4:242 being forwardly extended to permit the forward movement of the key 41 therein. The followers 32 and 33 are of similar construction, each comprising a plate 43, each plate being provided near its vertical edges with outwardly extended flanges 44-44. The

v flanges'd L-Ad of the front follower 32 are forwardly extended and spaced apart to receive the rear end of the draw-bar 34 between them, the front edges of the said flanges being provided with forwardly opening slots 45%?) adapted to receive the coupler key 36 therein, each flange being also provided with upper and lower stop shoulders 46-46 adapted to co-act with the front stop shoulders of the stop members. The upper and lower ends of the front follower extend into the slots 12-12 in the upper and lower stop members, and on rearward movement of the draw-bar are adapted to engage against the front limiting stop shoulders 1414 to limit the rearward movement of the follower and prevent the solid compression of the compression resisting parts of the draft gear. The flanges 44-44 of the rear stop member 33 are rearwardly extended and are provided with rearwardly opening slots 4'l47-- similar to the slots 4545 in the front follower, and adapted to receive the rear key 41 therein. The flanges 44 of the rear follower are provided with upper and lower stop shoulders 48-48 adapted to co-act with the rear stop shoulders 16-16 provided in the stop member. The upper and lower ends 4949 of the rear stop member are received in the slots 1515 in the stop members, the plate 43 of the rear follower 33 being adapted on extreme forward movement of the rear follower to engage against the rear limiting stop shoulders 17 to limit the compression of the compression resisting parts of the draft gear.

On rearward movement of the draw-bar, the coupler key 36 moves rearwardly in the slots 37 of the draft links 38 without bufling strain upon the coupler key 36, the draw-bar forces the front follower rearwardly, compressing the compression resisting elements of the draft gear, the shell of the draft gear being held against rearward movement by the rear follower 33, the rear follower being held against rearward movement through the engagement of its stop shoulders against the stop shoulders 1616 of the stop members. The rear follower may also be held against rearward movement by ,the rear key 41 engaging the rear follower in the rearwardly opening slots therein, the rear key 41 being held against rearward movement through its engagement against the rear ends of the slots 4242 in the draft members by reason of the rearwardly extended flanges 44 of the rear follower 33. The rear stop shoulders 16 are rearwardly spaced apart'from the rear end of the draft gear, lengthening the area of engagement between the stop members and the draft members, more widely distributing the buffing shock to the draft members, and distributing the shearing stress upon the means for connecting the stop members to the draft members, the said means consisting preferably of the rivets 1111. The bufiing movement of the gear is limited by the engagement of the front follower 32 against the front limiting stop shoulders 14--14, the area of distribution of the shock to the draft members following this engagement on full compression being widely distributed rearwardly, and being forwardly distributed by means of the comparatively lengthy forward extension of the stop members made possible by reason of the forwardly extended flanges 4444 of the front follower. The slots 39-39 in the draft members may be rearwardly terminated at a point adapted to stop the rearward movement of the coupler key 36 simultaneously with the engagement of the front follower against the front limiting stop shoulders 1414 of the stop members. I

On forward movement of the draw-bar, the coupler key 36, engaging the forward ends of the slots 37 in the draft links 33, draws the draft links forwardly, the draft links in turn drawing the rear key 41 forwardly in the slots 4242 in the draft members, the'said key forwardly actuating the rear follower 33, which in turn forwardly actuates the draft gear, the draft gear being stopped at its forward end by the front follower 32, the stop shoulders 46-46 of the front follower engaging against the front stop shoulders 13-13 of the stop members. On complete forward movement, the rear follower engages against the rear limiting stop shoulders 1717 of the stop members,

thus limiting the compression of the draft gear. The slots 4242 in the draft members may be forwardly terminated at a point to stop the forward movement of the rear key 41 simultaneously with the engagement of the rear follower 33 against the rear limiting stop shoulders 17. In forward movement of the draw-bar and in full compression of the draft gear, the shocks of the draft rigging are widely distributed to the draft members in a manner similar to that hereinbefore described in connection with the bufling movement of the draft rigging. It will be observed that the engagement of the followers, through their flanges, with the connecting keys for the draft links holds the followers against accidental downward displacement.

I claim:

1. In a draft rigging for railway cars, in combination, a draft yoke having a cross connecting member and a follower having longitudinally extending flanges, the flanges of said follower being provided with out wardly opening slots to receive the cross connecting member of the yoke.

2. In a draft rigging for railway cars, in combination, draft members, upper and lower stop members secured thereto, a draw bar, a draft yoke connected to the draw-bar, a draft gear mounted between the draft members, followers for the ends of the draft gear, the draft yoke comprising draft links and front and rear keys connecting said links, each follower having longitudinally extending flanges provided with outwardly opening slots to receive a key, the stop members having vertical openings to receive the upper and lower ends of the followers, the ends of said openings forming stop shoulders, the followers having shoulders coacting therewith.

3. In a railway draft rigging, the combination with draft members, upper and lower stop members secured to the draft members,

said stop members being provided with slots near the ends thereof, a draw-bar, a draft yoke and a draft gear, of followers at the ends of the draft gear, each follower having longitudinally extended flanges notched at their upper and lowervends to thereby form shoulders cooperating with said stop members.

4. In a draft rigging for railway cars, in V combination, draft members, upper and lower stop members secured thereto, said stop members comprising substantially horizontal plates extending between and connected to the draft members and provided with slots intermediate their ends, a drawbar, a draft yoke, a draft gear, and followers at the ends of the gear, each of said followers having longitudinally extending side flanges slidable between said upper and lower stop members, each of said followers having also extended upper and lower ends extending into said slots.

JOHN F. OCONNOR. Witnesses:

ARLINE R. ARNOLD,

f CARRIE u. RANz. 

